The research necessary for the preparation of the catalogue of the French silver in the collection of Calouste Gulbenkianhas produced a wealth of information concerning the works, their makers, patrons, usage, provenance, and the collector’s interests. However prestigious the princely, royal, or imperial commissions of dinner services, their dismantling knows a long history and often started when the patron died. Sometimes a chain of successions delayed the coming on the market of major pieces of silver. 

For instance, the decision of the Soviet government to sell historic pieces from the national collection proved to be a unique opportunity for Gulbenkian to acquire many silver trophies. The presence of this major group of works changed profoundly the character of his collection, carefully displayed in his Parisian residence with the doors closed for all those interested. The trophy status of the silver, prolonged almost by definition by their display in the museum, has contributed to a lack of interest in their makers, their artistic accomplishments, and the role silverware had in eighteenth century high society dining in Europe.

The lecture took place during the conference ‘The Global Table in the 18th Century: From Silver and Glass to Lacquer and Porcelain‘, organized by the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum on October 16, 2023.